Lisa Parker

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Lisa Parker joined NBC5 in 1996 and launched what was then called the Target 5 consumer-investigative unit.

Her work in the unit, which is now NBC5 Investigates, garnered 13 Midwest Emmys, two Edward R. Murrow Regional RTNDA awards, three Gracie Allen awards, and several state and local broadcast awards.

Parker brings a depth and dimension to NBC5's consumer reports, with a style aimed at bringing real benefit for viewers. From the real stories of everyday consumers to the national issues, Parker and her producer Robin Green take on a wide range of topics.

Early on, a tip led Parker and the Target 5 team to a story that would have national implications. She was the first to report on the dangers of high levels of lead in imported vinyl miniblinds. The story that started in Chicago soon had a nationwide effect, as the product was pulled from stores shelves across the country. As a result of "Blind Danger," parents everywhere were warned, and an industry changed its practice.

Each year thereafter, Parker and producer Robin Green continued to tackle topics that include children's product safety, potential defects in automobiles and toxins in mainstream consumer products.

The stories are often gut-wrenching: she was among the first to report on the “Bye-Bye Syndrome,” in which parents and caregivers leaving their homes back over small children who followed them to their automobiles. She and Green were also first to expose carbon monoxide poisonings and deaths connected to keyless ignitions systems in newer model cars.

Many of Parker's reports have national implications -- but her unit also concentrates a great deal of attention on everyday consumer struggles. The unit tackles thousands of consumer problems every year -- most of which never air on television, but help to serve the needs of NBC5 viewers.

Parker came to NBC5 from WAVY-TV in Norfolk, Virginia. Before that she worked as consumer reporter for WBAY-TV in Green Bay, Wisc. She started her career in broadcasting as a part-time camera operator and producer for KWWL in Waterloo, Iowa.